Editorial: Time for Vermont to take a knee

Some players and coaches on the St. Michael’s College men’s basketball team kneel during the national anthem before the game against University of Vermont on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, at UVM’s Patrick Gym in Burlington.
COURTESY JAMES BUCK

Some players and coaches on the St. Michael’s College men’s basketball team kneel during the national anthem before the game against University of Vermont on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, at UVM’s Patrick Gym in Burlington.(Photo11: Courtesy James Buck/St. Michael's College)

The “take a knee” protest by the St. Michael’s College men’s basketball team on Nov. 4 is yet another reminder that the people of this state must confront the racism inflicted on Vermonters everyday.

At last week’s game against University of Vermont at Patrick Gym, some St. Michael’s players and coaches went down on one knee during the playing of the national anthem, mirroring the on-going protest against racism led by NFL players.

A video provided by photographer James Buck shows the gesture was met with “boos” and calls for the players to stand.

Take-a-knee, from the start, has been about drawing attention to the disproportionate number of African American men, especially young ones, who are brutalized or killed at the hands of this nation’s law enforcement agents. By extension, take-a-knee is about justice for people of color.

That the sight of athletes taking a knee evokes such strong emotions speaks to the effectiveness of the protest in drawing attention to the issue.

President Trump has led the effort to redirect attention from race and excessive force by police, starting with his call to fire any NFL player who refused to stand for the national anthem.

The president fed Americans the story line that the plea for justice and an end to deadly discrimination was actually an attack on the Stars and Stripe – as if a symbol matters more than the lives of actual people – and an act that casts scorn on veterans.

Trump has turned a protest on behalf of young black men’s lives into a litmus test for patriotism.

The president’s rhetoric gave permission to those who felt threatened by people of color to avoid the the issue of race entirely and vent their anger at anyone who dares show “disrespect” for the country.

Yet there is no similar outcry when white nationalists hoist the American flag side-by-side with symbols outright hate, such as the Nazi swastika banner.

There is nothing disrespectful about calling for equal rights, the promise that stands behind this nation’s flag.

Too many white Vermonters can afford to avoid thinking about the issues surrounding race because they have little regular interactions in their daily lives with people who are different from themselves.

But to do nothing in the face of the daily injustices and indignities of racism – big and small – suffered by family, friends and neighbors truly would be to disrespect the flag and all those who fought for the principles for which it stands.

Contact Engagement Editor Aki Soga at asoga@freepressmedia.com. Join the conversation online at BurlingtonFreePress.com or send a letter to the editor to letters@freepressmedia.com.